Quetzal Catamaran Cruise Prestige to Saona Island

Posted By : Sarah_V
Highly recommend! The water around and at Soana Island is beautiful, so any tour there is worth your time, however this tour stands out because of the operator. The boat is a private vessel made available for tourists in small groups. THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THEY LIMIT THE TOUR TO 30 GUESTS ON BOARD, WHICH MAKES FOR A VERY ENJOYABLE DAY. NO OTHER BOATS SEEM TO DO THIS. You'll see other, even smaller boats crowded with 50+ people and cranking music.  Our boat seemed peaceful in comparison, we always had somewhere to sit in the shade or on the nets and if the crew played music for us it was never obnoxious. We were able to leave our things in one of the cabin rooms onboard, which was always open and easily accessible for outfit changes etc. There were two bathrooms available onboard as well. The owner is French so there are guides onboard that speak French, Spanish & English which can be a benefit if you're coming from a French-speaking country, we were 2 of 4 English speakers on board that day and, the crew made sure to convey everything to us in our language of choice which was appreciated. The food is really good too: we had grilled steak & chicken, salad, fruits, and sides for lunch, plus various snacks (bananas, various finger sandwiches, rum cake (with or without rum)) as well as mixed drinks and beer available upon demand all day. You can buy things at Soana Island (massages, coconut drinks, bracelets, etc. bring cash if you plan to do so) but we enjoyed just spending time in the water, on the beach, and in the shade the most. While on land at Soana Island, some of the crew will be there to mix drinks or provide beer (in plastic cups) along with some light snacks like chips. There are bathrooms on land at Soana Island too, from the boat landing it is a 5-minute walk to the beach area on Soana Island (this was the second stop of the trip). The snorkel spot (the first stop) was too windy the day we visited so we had extra time at the seastar spot (third stop) in the afternoon but you can't fault the crew for the weather. We appreciate that they were able to adjust the agenda and we still had a fabulous day onboard! We had a rental car and were able to park right out front of the office which was easy to find in town but depending on where you're staying they can arrange pickup or connect you with a taxi provider.
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Posted On : 2024-05-12 20:28:30

Posted By : bruceli59
Superb organization, explanation in French
Nice welcome and the visits are great!
To do without problem.
See you soon !!
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Posted On : 2024-05-01 00:44:08

Posted By : didiercouttier
Great day with Quetzal in Saona!
The water was clear, the sun was shining, and we were really able to enjoy the calm of the island and the natural pool to see the starfish. Manon, our guide, was great, and the meal was delicious (fresh food and cooked on board the boat). We could help ourselves to unlimited drinks and the ti-punch was super good! The excursion was in a small group, which allowed us to chat with the guides and other vacationers, a family atmosphere, it was really great.
In addition, the catamaran is very spacious and comfortable, we didn't even get seasick.
To recommend without hesitation ! Thanks again to the whole team !
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Posted On : 2024-04-26 15:34:48

Posted By : NicolasC955
Superb small group excursions (Catalina and Saona), favorite for Saona before the tourist rush, excellent meals and products on board. Very friendly national guides and top agency guides. Thank you to Lola and Manon for your welcome, good humor and sharing. An unforgettable experience not to be missed!
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Posted On : 2024-04-25 07:15:06

Posted By : bethe869
We had the BEST time on this excursion! We were staying at Hilton La Romana so it was literally a walk down the beach to the Quetzal excursion office but they offered free pick-up so what the heck. Everyone in the office was accommodating and we had a short walk from the office to the launch boat. The launch boat took us out to the actual catamaran in Puerto de Bayahibe. Our guide, Mano, was a wealth of knowledge about the area and the sea life. The first stop was a pier where there was coral growing and with coral come fish. There were several different kinds of fish and we also saw some rays. Stop two was Saona Beach. Let me tell you--that is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. My friend was almost teary eyed saying she had dreamed of seeing a beach like this. We had a section of beach chairs that were reserved for us. Mano said we had about an hour. We swam and sunned and just took in the beauty. After we'd been there about 55 minutes, two huge passenger boats pulled up, their back's dropped down and people started streaming off of those boats (tourists like us.) Mano came around and said, "Time to go!" I heard her tell someone that they plan their time at Saona Beach in-between two other huge groups. We appreciate that! Lunch was back on the catamaran which was fixed by the crew while we were on the island. It was delicious! That's when the bar opened--rum punch and rum and Cokes all around! The catamaran sailed to our last stop which was what they called the pool (I think) where we got to explore and see giant star fish! Then the hour long sail back to the port and a taxi ride back to the resort. It was a spectacular day and all four of us, even the one who has a tendency to motion sickness, thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly, highly recommend, especially if you are staying in La Romana or Bayahibe area. Two BIG thumbs up!
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Posted On : 2024-04-22 19:01:10

Posted By : ChantaleM_13
What a joy to sail with the Quetzal crew during our two outings to Saona with Manon and Catalina with Lola. We have been long-time customers with Quetzal and the experience is always exceptional every time. Experienced and professional crew, diving accompanied by the guide, excellent meal on the catamaran and always in small groups. Already looking forward to next year.
Raymond and Chantale.
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Posted On : 2024-04-22 08:53:05

Posted By : pjgator
Overall, we had a fun time. There was no snorkeling due to weather conditions. Time on the island itself was relaxing and nice. The island is gorgeous. Pineapple pina colada wasn't the greatest, so not really worth $10 USD. Beware of a few things: i) Late and disorganized pickup from hotel. Even more disorganized travel BACK to the hotel, as the cab driver asked US for $$. We did not pay. ii) Someone should tell management (and Lola) that repeated use of the F-word in a family environment is not a good idea and is inappropriate. There were 6 pre-teen children on this cruise. Have some standards and use vocabulary that is family-friendly. I heard the f-word from Lola and several teenaged tourists more on this trip than I heard over the past year as a whole in my world back home. Read the room (or the boat, in this case) and use appropriate language. And remind other tourists to do so, as well.
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Posted On : 2024-04-10 11:31:43

Posted By : Sherpa56657540532
Amazing staff and experience! Beautiful way to go snorkeling and enjoy the Island. Lola and Bernard took care of group of 36 making sure we all had a wonderful day.
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Posted On : 2024-04-06 16:42:06

Posted By : Beth_E
We had the most fabulous Dayton the Quetzel catamaran. The taxi picked us up right on time and took us to the excursion office in Bayahíbe. Our guide, Mano, met us there and guided us to a smaller boat that took us out to the bigger boat. The boat was good sized and there were about 20 people on the excursion so we had plenty of room to spread out. We sailed for a bit then snorkeled in crustal blue water. Out next stop was Saona beach which was breathtaking. Last stop was the natural pool with the giant sea stars. They allies us lunch, provided snacks and an open bar. Lunch was delicious! After we returned to Bayahibe, taxi took us back to our resort. A spectacular day. Highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2024-04-06 15:41:18

Posted By : Alexis_K
This catamaran ride was absolutely amazing and so much more than I had expected! I loved that the catamaran was not too crowded, there was plenty of room for all the guests to be comfortable while aboard. We also had plenty of activities to participate in, including the catamaran ride itself, snorkeling, visiting the island, and searching for starfish! After each activity there were snacks and food for everyone. We ate sandwich’s after snorkeling. We had pasta, salad, fruit, and chicken & steak for lunch after visiting the island. After searching for starfish, Mano, our guide had run cake ready for us! There was also unlimited water and other drinks the whole day and Mano made an amazing Dominican cocktail! I would highly recommend this excursion to anyone visiting! Definitely my husband and I’s favorite thing we did on our honeymoon!
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Posted On : 2024-04-04 12:52:50